---
id: overview
title: Getting Started with Tracetest
description: Get started with Tracetest, the easiest way to test complex microservice flows fast! Use OpenTelemetry distributed traces to find issues from front end to back end and anywhere in between!
hide_table_of_contents: false
keywords:
  - tracetest
  - tracetest quick start
  - tracetest get started
  - trace-based testing
  - observability
  - observability driven development
  - observability driven development quick start
  - distributed tracing
  - testing
image: https://res.cloudinary.com/djwdcmwdz/image/upload/v1698686403/docs/Blog_Thumbnail_14_rsvkmo.jpg
---

```mdx-code-block
import {TracetestGettingStartedGuideCardsRow, TracetestCoreGettingStartedGuideCardsRow} from '@site/src/components/GettingStartedGuide';
```

Tracetest is a cloud-native application, designed to run in the cloud. Get started in three ways.

- **[Cloud-based Managed Tracetest](https://app.tracetest.io/) (Free to get started!)**: Use managed infrastructure with collaboration for teams, and additional features on top of Tracetest Core.
- **[Enterprise Self-hosted Tracetest](https://tracetest.io/on-prem-installation) (Free trial, no credit card required)**: Same experience as with Cloud-based Managed Tracetest but self-hosted in your own infrastructure. **([Request a demo!](https://dub.sh/tracetest-demo))**
- **[Hobby Self-hosted Open-source Tracetest Core](/core/getting-started/overview)**: Deploy a hobby instance in your own infrastructure with Docker or Kubernetes. Not suitable for production workloads.

## Cloud-based Managed Tracetest and Enterprise Self-hosted Tracetest

**We recommend using [Cloud-based Managed Tracetest](https://app.tracetest.io/)**. It's the easiest way to test microservices and distributed apps with OpenTelemetry distributed traces. Tracetest provides managed infrastructure, [collaboration for teams](/concepts/environments), [RBAC](/concepts/roles-and-permissions), [organizations](/concepts/organizations), [dependency-free config](/concepts/agent), [agentless serverless config](/concepts/cloud-agent), and much more.

Get started with the installation guide below, tailored for microservice and distributed app developers. You may find it insightful even if you have [one of many other supported use cases](/examples-tutorials/recipes).

If your organization requires you to keep data on-prem, you can use Enterprise Self-hosted Tracetest and deploy it in your own infrastructure. It contains the same features as Cloud-based Managed Tracetest. [Request a license key for Enterprise Self-hosted Tracetest, here.](https://tracetest.io/on-prem-installation)

```mdx-code-block
<TracetestGettingStartedGuideCardsRow />
```

### Features Available in Cloud-based Managed Tracetest and Enterprise Self-hosted Tracetest

#### All Tracetest Core features, plus...

- The usual cloud-based managed capability: SSO, accounts, organizations, roles, ability to run multiple environments, sharing, and security.
- Additional test triggers: Cypress, Playwright, k6, Artillery, with more coming soon.
- Additional test automation options: GitHub Actions, `@tracetest/client` npm module, with more coming soon.
- Grouped test runs: Organize multiple tests into a single "test run group". These tests can then be executed simultaneously in parallel. The system will wait for all tests in the group to complete before delivering a consolidated "pass/fail" outcome. This functionality is particularly beneficial for halting CI/CD processes if any test in the group fails.
- Test coverage overview: "Run" tab to monitor actively running tests with extensive meta tagging and filtering.
- Public + private access, with Tracetest Agent or Tracetest Cloud Agent.
- Secrets management: Obfuscate values in variable sets.
- Synthetic monitoring: Run your existing trace-based tests and test suites on a schedule and get alerted with your favorite alerting tools when they fail.
- Playwright engine trigger: Run your existing Playwright tests as part of the Tracetest platform and enhance them with trace-based testing.

## Hobby Self-hosted Open-source Tracetest Core

Tracetest Core is a cloud-native application, packaged and distributed as a Docker image and designed to run in a containerized environment.

```mdx-code-block
<TracetestCoreGettingStartedGuideCardsRow />
```

### Features Available in Open-source Tracetest Core

#### Tracetest Core functionality

- [Open-Source Features](https://github.com/kubeshop/tracetest?tab=readme-ov-file#-features)
- Test triggers: HTTP/GRPC, Trace ID, Kafka
- Test specifications: Selector language + Assertions
- Test automation options: CLI + Deep Link
